Page 15 - Self Talk

The dish fell out of her hands and crashed into the empty sink. She had that funny look on her face like people have when they're about to cry, but the tears never came.
She just stared out the kitchen window as she untied her apron and wiped her hands with it in slow motion. The doorbell rang. Two times, then three, then four before
she moved away from the window to answer it.
Three military officers stood stick straight in the doorway. Their faces were grave behind their military-issue, horn- rimmed glasses. Their dress uniforms were decorated
like a birthday cake with multi-colored ribbons and gold leaves.
“Mrs. Gordon E. Nelson?” one of the men snapped in a way that was hard to tell if he were asking a question or making a statement.